Living alternating copolymerization of N-alkylaziridines and carbon monoxide as a route for synthesis of poly-beta-peptoids

The title copolymerization catalyzed by BnCOCo(CO)4 affords poly-beta-alanoids in excellent yields and selectivity. The poly-beta-alanoids have narrow molecular weight distributions, controllable molecular weights, and definite end groups.     

Mechanistic aspects of the metal catalyzed alternating copolymerization of epoxides and carbon monoxide

The cobalt-catalyzed alternating copolymerization of epoxides and CO is a novel, direct approach to aliphatic polyesters, such as poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB). This reaction was found to be catalyzed by Ph3Si[Co(CO)4] (4) and pyridine affording in a first step the stable mono-insertion product Ph3Si-O-CH(CH3)-CH2-CO-Co(CO)4 (5). However, a profound mechanistic understanding, especially of the role of pyridine as the key component for the polymerization reaction was missing. ATR-IR online monitoring under catalytic conditions and DFT calculations were used to show that an acylpyridinium cation is formed by cleavage of the cobalt-acyl bond of 5 in the presence of pyridine. The Lewis acid thus generated activates the next incoming epoxide monomer for ring opening through [Co(CO)4]-. The catalytic cycle is completed by a subsequent CO insertion in the new cobalt-alkyl bond. The calculations are used to explore the energetic hypersurface of the polymerization reaction and are complemented by extended experimental investigations that also support the mechanistic hypotheses.     

Alternative copolymerization of aziridines and carbon monoxide by γ-ray irradiation

The copolymerization of carbon monoxide and aziridines such as ethylenimine and propylenimine was carried out by γ-ray irradiation. Aziridines and carbon monoxide were allowed to copolymerize under γ-ray irradiation from a Co⁶⁰ source and gave a crystalline solid copolymer. The yield of the copolymer increased with reaction temperature. The composition of copolymers obtained did not depend on the feed ratio of monomers and was found to be almost equimolar. The copolymer of ethylenimine and carbon monoxide melted at about 322–335°C. with decomposition and has an infrared spectrum identical with that of poly-β-alanine obtained by the hydrogen-migration polymerization of acrylamide. The hydrolyzed product of the ethylenimine–carbon monoxide copolymer was confirmed to be β-alanine by paper chromatography. These results lead to the conclusion that the copolymerization of aziridines and carbon monoxide took place alternatively by γ-ray irradiation, and produced crystalline poly-β-alanines.     

Mechanistic studies of the copolymerization reaction of oxetane and carbon dioxide to provide aliphatic polycarbonates catalyzed by (Salen)CrX complexes

Chromium salen derivatives in the presence of anionic initiators have been shown to be very effective catalytic systems for the selective coupling of oxetane and carbon dioxide to provide the corresponding polycarbonate with a minimal amount of ether linkages. Optimization of the chromium(III) system was achieved utilizing a salen ligand with tert-butyl groups in the 3,5-positions of the phenolate rings and a cyclohexylene backbone for the diimine along with an azide ion initiator. The mechanism for the coupling reaction of oxetane and carbon dioxide has been studied. Based on binding studies done by infrared spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, kinetic data, end group analysis done by (1)H NMR, and infrared spectroscopy, a mechanism of the copolymerization reaction is proposed. The formation of the copolymer is shown to proceed in part by way of the intermediacy of trimethylene carbonate, which was observed as a minor product of the coupling reaction, and by the direct enchainment of oxetane and CO 2. The parity of the determined free energies of activation for these two processes, namely 101.9 kJ x mol (-1) for ring-opening polymerization of trimethylene carbonate and 107.6 kJ x mol (-1) for copolymerization of oxetane and carbon dioxide supports this conclusion.     

Alternating copolymerization of fluoroalkenes with carbon monoxide

The palladium-catalyzed alternating copolymerization of fluoroalkenes, represented as CH(2)=CH-CH(2)-C(n)F(2n+1), with CO was performed using (R,S)-BINAPHOS (2e) as a ligand. The CH(2)-C(n)F(2n+1) group is the most electronegative substituent ever reported for the copolymerization (Taft's sigma value of 0.90 for CH(2)CF(3)). The copolymer obtained from CH(2)=CH-CH(2)-C(8)F(17) (1a) existed as a mixture of polyspiroketal and polyketone, while that from CH(2)=CH-CH(2)-C(4)F(9) (1b) was a pure polyspiroketal, as was revealed by infrared and (13)C-CP/MAS NMR spectroscopies. The terminal structure of the polymer from 1b was confirmed by MALDI-TOF MS spectrometry. Detailed NMR studies suggested that the much higher reactivity with (R,S)-BINAPHOS (2e) than that with the conventional ligand DPPP (2a) can be attributed to the unique 1,2-insertion of the fluoroalkene into acylpalladium species. The existence of an electronegative substituent on the alpha-carbon of the palladium center is successfully avoided in the 1,2-insertion mechanism.     

Enantioselective,alternating copolymerization of carbon monoxide and olefins

Enantioselective, alternating copolymerizations of carbon monoxide with styrene, dicyclopentadiene, and methylcyclopentadiene dimer were carried out with a palladium catalyst modified by 1,4‐3,6‐dianhydro‐2,5‐dideoxy‐2,5‐bis(diphenyl phosphino)‐L ‐iditol. Chiral diphosphine was proven to be effective at enantioselective copolymerization. In the copolymers, some of the second double bonds of alternating poly(1,4‐ketone) were carbonylated. Optical rotation, elemental analysis, and spectra of ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and IR showed that the copolymers had isotactic, alternating poly(1,4‐ketone) structures. An oxidant and an organic acid were the promoters of the copolymerization. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 2919–2924, 2000     

Regiocontrolled copolymerization of methyl acrylate with carbon monoxide

An alternating copolymer of methyl acrylate with carbon monoxide has been synthesized for the first time via coordination polymerization using palladium complexes of phosphine-sulfonic acid as catalysts. The highly controlled head-to-tail structure of the copolymer was confirmed by NMR spectra. Subsequent insertion of carbon monoxide and methyl acrylate to methylpalladium species provided gamma-ketoalkylpalladium 2. The present system apparently conquered the difficulty in coordination-insertion of CO to 2.     

Mechanistic aspects of the copolymerization reaction of carbon dioxide and epoxides,using a chiral salen chromium chloride catalyst

The air-stable, chiral (salen)Cr(III)Cl complex (3), where H(2)salen = N,N'-bis(3,5-di-tert-butyl-salicylidene)-1,2-cyclohexene diamine, has been shown to be an effective catalyst for the coupling of cyclohexene oxide and carbon dioxide to afford poly(cyclohexenylene carbonate), along with a small quantity of its trans-cyclic carbonate. The thus produced polycarbonate contained >99% carbonate linkages and had a M(n) value of 8900 g/mol with a polydispersity index of 1.2 as determined by gel permeation chromatography. The turnover number (TON) and turnover frequency (TOF) values of 683 g of polym/g of Cr and 28.5 g of polym/g of Cr/h, respectively for reactions carried out at 80 degrees C and 58.5 bar pressure increased by over 3-fold upon addition of 5 equiv of the Lewis base cocatalyst, N-methyl imidazole. Although this chiral catalyst is well documented for the asymmetric ring-opening (ARO) of epoxides, in this instance the copolymer produced was completely atactic as illustrated by (13)C NMR spectroscopy. Whereas the mechanism for the (salen)Cr(III)-catalyzed ARO of epoxides displays a squared dependence on [catalyst], which presumably is true for the initiation step of the copolymerization reaction, the rate of carbonate chain growth leading to copolymer or cyclic carbonate formation is linearly dependent on [catalyst]. This was demonstrated herein by way of in situ measurements at 80 degrees C and 58.5 bar pressure. Hence, an alternative mechanism for copolymer production is operative, which is suggested to involve a concerted attack of epoxide at the axial site of the chromium(III) complex where the growing polymer chain for epoxide ring-opening resides. Preliminary investigations of this (salen)Cr(III)-catalyzed system for the coupling of propylene oxide and carbon dioxide reveal that although cyclic carbonate is the main product provided at elevated temperatures, at ambient temperature polycarbonate formation is dominant. A common reaction pathway for alicyclic (cyclohexene oxide) and aliphatic (propylene oxide) carbon dioxide coupling is thought to be in effect, where in the latter instance cyclic carbonate production has a greater temperature dependence compared to copolymer formation.     

Radical-initiated copolymerization of carbon monoxide and ethylenimine in the presence of ethylene

The radical-initiated copolymerization of carbon monoxide and ethylenimine in the presence of ethylene was studied quantitatively. Carbon monoxide copolymerized with difficulty with ethylenimine with α,α′-azobisisobutyronitrile as radical initiator. In the presence of a small amount of ethylene, however, a remarkable amount of crystalline powdery poly-β-alanine (nylon 3) was obtained. The crystalline copolymer, which mainly consists of nylon 3 and contains a small amount of nylon 5 and other substances of higher homologous nylon structure, was obtained in the presence of a large amount of ethylene. This copolymer scarcely contained any ketone structure. Increasing the total feed of the equimolar mixture of the monomers increased the conversion of total monomer and nylon 3 content in the copolymer formed. The effect of increasing carbon monoxide content in this system was to increase both the conversion and the nylon 3 content in the copolymer. In both cases the copolymers were almost identical with nylon 3. Increased ethylene content in the monomer feed, however, increased the conversion and the content of higher homologous nylon structures, such as nylon 5 and 7. From the results it was concluded that ethylene was involved not only in the propagation reaction but also particularly in the initiation reaction.     

Mechanistic investigation and reaction kinetics of the low-pressure copolymerization of cyclohexene oxide and carbon dioxide catalyzed by a dizinc complex

The reaction kinetics of the copolymerization of carbon dioxide and cyclohexene oxide to produce poly(cyclohexene carbonate), catalyzed by a dizinc acetate complex, is studied by in situ attenuated total reflectance infrared (ATR-IR) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR) spectroscopy. A parameter study, including reactant and catalyst concentration and carbon dioxide pressure, reveals zero reaction order in carbon dioxide concentration, for pressures between 1 and 40 bar and temperatures up to 80 °C, and a first-order dependence on catalyst concentration and concentration of cyclohexene oxide. The activation energies for the formation of poly(cyclohexene carbonate) and the cyclic side product cyclohexene carbonate are calculated, by determining the rate coefficients over a temperature range between 65 and 90 °C and using Arrhenius plots, to be 96.8 ± 1.6 kJ mol(-1) (23.1 kcal mol(-1)) and 137.5 ± 6.4 kJ mol(-1) (32.9 kcal mol(-1)), respectively. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC), (1)H NMR spectroscopy, and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-ToF) mass spectrometry are employed to study the poly(cyclohexene carbonate) produced, and reveal bimodal molecular weight distributions, with narrow polydispersity indices (≤1.2). In all cases, two molecular weight distributions are observed, the higher value being approximately double the molecular weight of the lower value; this finding is seemingly independent of copolymerization conversion or reaction parameters. The copolymer characterization data and additional experiments in which chain transfer agents are added to copolymerization experiments indicate that rapid chain transfer reactions occur and allow an explanation for the observed bimodal molecular weight distributions. The spectroscopic and kinetic analyses enable a mechanism to be proposed for both the copolymerization reaction and possible side reactions; a dinuclear copolymerization active site is implicated.     

Regio- and stereocontrol in the alternating copolymerization of olefins with carbon monoxide

Strictly alternating copolymers between olefins and carbon monoxide are synthesized using cationic palladium catalysts modified by phosphorus or nitrogen ligands. Basic chelate diphosphines as the ligand allow the regioregular copolymerization of aliphatic olefins thus affording, e.g. in the case of propene, poly(1-oxo-2-methyltrimethylene). Steric control of the copolymerization process towards the production of overwhelmingly isotactic copolymers is possible particularly when using atropisomeric ligands. In the case of styrene as the substrate and for all ligands employed the copolymerization process is regioregular. Prevailing syndiotactic structure is obtained with 1,10-phenanthroline or 2,2′-bipyridine as the ligand. Chelate thioether ligands allow the preparation of a completely atactic material. For 4-tert-butylstyrene an isotactic structure became accessible by using chiral bisoxazolidines. The prevailing structure of the copolymers of cyclopentene corresponds to a 1,3-enchainment of the olefin units most probably associated with a prevailing diisotactic structure     

Mechanistic studies on the diazo transfer reaction

The mechanism of the diazo transfer reaction which converts amines to azides has been studied with labeled amino acids and labeled imidazole-1-sulfonyl azides. Retention of amine nitrogen in the amine, and transfer of the two terminal nitrogen atoms of the imidazole-1-sulfonyl azide to the product, were unambiguously established.     

Regioselective and stereoselective alternating copolymerization of carbon monoxide with functional olefins

Enantioselective, alternating copolymerizations of carbon monoxide with ω‐undecylenic acid, ethyl acrylate, and butyl acrylate were carried out for the first time with a palladium catalyst modified by 1,4:3,6‐dianhydro‐2,5‐dideoxy‐2,5‐bis(diphenylphosphino)‐L ‐iditol. Optical rotation, elemental analysis, and ¹H NMR,¹³C NMR, and IR spectra showed that the copolymers were optically active, isotactic, alternating poly(1,4‐ketone) or poly(spiroketal) structures. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 2027–2036, 2001     

Alternating copolymerization of carbonyl sulfide with aziridines

The copolymerization of carbonyl sulfide with aziridines such as ethylenimine, propylenimine, and N-ethylethylenimine was studied in various organic solvents. The copolymerizations occurred easily without the addition of any catalyst and gave white powdery crystalline copolymers. The copolymers produced were insoluble in many organic solvents, but soluble in p-chlorophenol and dimethyl sulfoxide. The elementary analyses and the infrared spectra showed that alternating copolymers which have a thiourethane structure were produced. In the copolymerization of carbonyl sulfide with ethylenimine, both the polymer yield and the molecular weight of the resulting polymer increased with the use of a solvent having a higher dielectric constant, and also with an increase in the ratio of carbonyl sulfide to imine in the feed. The rate of copolymerization of carbonyl sulfide with aziridines was in the order of ethylenimine > propylenimine > and N-ethylethylenimine. Irradiation of the copolymers improved their thermal properties and increased their melting point.     

Mechanistic studies on the reaction between glutathionylcobalamin and selenocysteine

Abstract

The reaction between glutathionylcobalamin (GSCbl), a complex of Co(III)-cobalamin with glutathione, and selenocysteine (Sec) was investigated using ultraviolet-visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy. The interaction results in the formation of cob(II)alamin and proceeds via two pathways: (i) a rapid formation of complex between GSCbl and Sec followed by the rate-determining substitution of glutathionyl-ligand by Sec and rapid electron-transfer from Se-atom to Co(III)-ion and (ii) a nucleophilic attack of Co(III)-S bond by Sec.     

The cobalt-catalyzed alternating copolymerization of epoxides and carbon monoxide: a novel approach to polyesters

The metal-catalyzed synthesis of polyolefins, polyketones, and polycarbonates is well-known in academia and is already successfully applied in industrial processes. Still missing, however, is the metal-catalyzed synthesis of aliphatic polyesters, as one of the most important biodegradeable polymer families. We report here on the cobalt-catalyzed alternating copolymerization of propylene oxide and carbon monoxide, affording atactic and isotactic polyhydroxybutyrates (PHB). The postulated mechanism is supported by online ATR-IR analytics.     

A new route for synthesis of oligomeric polyurethanes. Alternating copolymerization of carbon dioxide and aziridines

Carbon dioxide was copolymerized with 2-methylaziridine and 1-phenethylaziridine in the presence of organozinc coordination catalysts. Fully alternating copolymers–polyurethanes were obtained. Relations between reaction conditions and polymer yield are given. On the basis of these results a probable scheme of the copolymerization reaction is proposed.